District unveils multi-year capital-improvement plan, emphasizes safety vestibules, boilers and athletic fields

East Meadow Union Free School District presented a district-wide five-year capital improvement plan to the Board of Education on March 12 that prioritizes health and safety fixes, building systems, classroom upgrades, and athletics.

A district facilities presenter identified four pillars for the plan: buildings and infrastructure, safety, educational environment and athletics. He said projects include installing safety vestibules and card-controlled entry points, upgrading PA and fire-alarm systems, replacing aging boilers and hot-water heaters, and adding LED and solar parking-lot lighting.

On safety vestibules, the presenter said the designs are a single controlled sign-in point with a buzzer, a greeter station behind glass and, where necessary, bullet-resistant protection. He described linked upgrades to lockdown functions and strobe alerts for large spaces. "We have to update the fire alarm systems... and those PA systems are old and are not cooperating with the new technology that we have in our schools," he said.

The facilities presenter and Anthony Velasquez, identified as director of buildings and grounds, described a maintenance strategy that uses the district's in-house crew to reduce vendor costs. The presenter said a recent example compared an outside vendor estimate of $86,000 to an in-house refurbishment cost of about $4,000 to $5,000. Velasquez noted installations of solar LED parking-lot lights at Meadowbrook and Parkway schools.

Athletic upgrades proposed include turfing baseball, softball and practice fields at Clark and East Meadow high schools, renovating Woodland's fields and considering a stadium-style seating configuration for football facilities. The presenter described wrestling and weight rooms that need ventilation and new surfaces and said elementary playgrounds—including Meadowbrook and Bowling Green, which serve students with special needs—are slated for sensory-friendly replacements.

On mechanical systems, the presenters said almost all boilers except Woodland are older than 20 years and that the district recently converted boilers from oil to gas to reduce fuel costs. They outlined options to extend equipment life through retubing and targeted replacement staggered across years to avoid large one-time capital spikes.

The district said public engagement will include community forums and surveys with PTA and building-based input; the presenter said the district intends to work with a vetted project manager to coordinate bids and ensure compliance with aid rules. He noted that project costs eligible for state building aid can be reimbursed at rates approaching 58% to 60%.

Ending: Officials said they will prioritize health and safety projects and schedule public engagement before finalizing project pricing and a phased five-year timeline.